The coronavirus crisis drags along. Life to me
feels as if I had stepped into old chewing gum on the pavement. You know that
feeling, of not wanting that chewing gum there but somehow not being able to
get rid of it.
Most of us cannot travel right now. Ever since 1998
I travel to South Africa once a year, there might be one year in between when I
did not go. I love the wide-open sky, the endless and often lonesome roads, the
bush, the wildlife, drinking Rooibos tea at farmstalls. I love the smell of the
ocean and beach walks. I love the strong wind in Cape Town, as well as the
restaurant scene, the design, the atmosphere, and my little friends, the
penguins.
There are countries were quarantine measures are
starting to be relaxed, but only after numbers of new coronavirus infections
are low enough to not overburden the health system. Times are uncertain. The
virus is still too new to understand everything. Teams of epidemiologists and
virologists research tirelessly to get us as fast as possible out of this
situation, or at least to come up with suggestions how to adapt life to the situation
so that we can move on. Politicians who cannot foresee the future, even if they
would love to, get all the blame. The situation is gloomy for everyone and
terrifying. We live in exciting times. Sharing stories and knowing that no one
of us is alone in this, helps.
We cannot go to South Africa right now, but we can
ask the locals about their country. Annemi Zaaiman lives with her family of
four in the Nelspruit area, the gateway to the Kruger National Park. She works
at EcoTraining.
EcoTraining - preserving wildlife and serving local
communities through environmental education
EcoTraining, founded in 1993, is specialised in
safari guide- and wildlife training. They believe in preserving wildlife and
serving local communities through environmental education. Their bush camps are
located across four African countries, in South Africa, Kenya, Botswana and
Zimbabwe. They offer over 12 courses, from five-day nature programmes to
one-year professional accredited courses. All conducted in remote wilderness
areas. One wildlife training facility is even situated inside the Kruger
National Park. International university students from the US and the UK, aiming
for a career in conservation, train at their facilities. So far, they trained
over 11,000-course participants and professional field guides from 33 countries.
There are four different training camps in South
Africa. The Makuleke Concession is the wildest and most remote part of the
Kruger National Park and not accessible to tourists. It is situated between the
Limpopo and the Luvuvhu Rivers in the northern section of the Park. Karongwe
Camp is on the banks of the Karongwe River in the Karongwe Game Reserve, to the
south-west of the Kruger National Park. The Selati camp is situated on the banks
of the Selati River, in the Selati Game Reserve, to the west of the Kruger
National Park. Pridelands Conservancy in the Limpopo Province of South Africa,
north of the Hoedspruit Airforce base. In September 2017, it became part of the
Kruger National Park.
The Vic Falls camp in Zimbabwe is on the Masuie
River, a tributary of the great Zambezi River in the Stanley & Livingstone
Private Game Reserve.
The Mashatu Reserve in Botswana is part of the
Northern Tuli Game Reserve. It is located at the confluence of the Limpopo and
the Shashe Rivers, in the easternmost corner of the country.
There are two camps in Kenya, the Borana Conservancy,
and the Mara Training centre. The Borana camp lies at the foot of Mount Kenya,
just 26 kilometres from the equator. It is right within the vast area of the
Ewaso ecosystem on the Laikipia Plateau. The Borana Conservancy is a non-profit
conservation organisation dedicated to the sustainable conservation of critical
habitat and wildlife. It has received the Ecotourism Kenya Award for best
conservancy. The Mara Training centre is located on the banks of the Mara River
and part of the Mara Serengeti ecosystem.
I check in with Annemi Zaaiman to hear from her
about the situation in South Africa. She tells me about the current crisis and
its challenges and opportunities for EcoTraining.
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| Annemi Zaaiman from EcoTraining |
